The principal objective of this project is to obtain an understanding of the fundamental coordination chemistry of polyaminocarboxylate ligands which have had one or more carboxylates replaced with a phenolate metal binding site. Thus, synthesis of a series of novel acyclic ligands of various substitution patterns is required. Information acquired from evaluation of the solution chemistry of these compounds, their kinetic and thermodynamic properties, and their serum stability may be employed to gauge the potential usefulness of the complexes in vivo. These studies will provide a basis for rational design of bifunctional phenolic azacarboxylate ligands for complexing metals useful as cytocidal or diagnostic agents. Further synthetic efforts to incorporate a reactive protein linking substituent into the synthesis of the useful chelating agents would be initiated and ultimately be applied to preparing monoclonal antibody conjugates.